Jiggly Caliente, drag queen who gained national prominence on "RuPaul's Drag Race," dies at age 44
Jiggly Caliente, a beloved drag queen who competed on "RuPaul's Drag Race" and transgender rights activist, has died at the age of 44, her family said in a statement posted on social media Sunday.
Bianca Castro-Arabejo, known by her stage name Jiggly Caliente, was going through what her family said was a "serious health setback" over the last month.
"Due to a severe infection, she was hospitalized and, as a result, has undergone the loss of most of her right leg," the family's statement said three days before they announced she had died.
Her family said Castro-Arabejo "passed away peacefully" on Sunday morning and that she was surrounded by loved ones. They remembered her as an entertainer and advocate who had "infectious energy, fierce wit, and unwavering authenticity."
"Her legacy is one of love, courage, and light. Though her physical presence is gone, the joy she shared and the space she helped create for so many will remain forever," her family's statement read. "She will be deeply missed, always loved, and eternally remembered."
Caliente first walked into the spotlight as a contestant on the award-winning hit reality show "RuPaul's Drag Race." The Philippines-born drag queen competed on season 4 of the show and on the sixth season of its spin-off, "RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars." She became one of the most recognizable names from the show and went on to act in other TV series including "Broad City" and "Pose," as well as appearing as a judge on "RuPaul's Drag Race Philippines."
In 2016, Castro-Arabejo publicly came out as a transgender woman.
"Drag was the awakening for my transness," she told Mega magazine in an interview last year.
Following the announcement of her death, tributes from fellow "Drag Race" contestants were posted to social media, including from Caliente's "drag daughter" and season 14 contestant June Jambalaya.
"Jiggly wasn't just my drag mother she was my safe place, my human diary, my compass when I was lost," Jambalaya said in an Instagram post. "There were so many moments I came to her broken, defeated by the business I love so much,a business that I felt didn't always love me back. And every time, she reminded me of my worth: how beautiful, how talented I was, how my gift could never be measured by a placement on a show."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cosmopolitan
3 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
Addison Rae Makes Intimate Live Debut at NYC's Iconic Club The Box — Review
Addison Rae lost herself and found herself again. With the release of her highly anticipated debut album, we saw a rebirth right before our eyes. Rebirth, rebrand, reintroduction—whatever you call it—the Louisiana-born TikTok dancer transformed into one of the most promising pop acts of the current age with the release of 'Diet Pepsi' last summer. Since then, skeptics and day 1 superfans have tuned in to watch her every move, whether it's because of the push-and-pull of her sexy girl next door persona or her slinky hooks and booming production from her collaborators, Luka Kloser and Elvira Anderfjärd. So, when I got word that Addison and Spotify were hosting a rare live show on the eve of her album release, I knew I had to be there. Especially because it would technically be her first official live performance of tracks from her self-titled debut album. She took center stage at New York's famously sleazy and glamorous nightclub, The Box, which acted as her playground for the night. The room was filled to the brim with magazine editors, late-night producers, and devoted fans who waited hours for a glimpse of the star. Bushwick's elite even crossed the bridge to Manhattan to capture the newly minted pop princess in all her glory. As aerial artists and dancers donned lingerie underneath burning disco balls, I brushed shoulders with Addison's star-studded stan list, from Julia Fox, Richie Shazam, and Amelia Gray to Conan Gray, Lola Tung, and Clairo. The intimate inauguration marked a new beginning for Addison. As she opened her set with 'Fame Is a Gun' in a kitschy satin bed, bated breaths escaped the lips of attendees who couldn't take their eyes off her. The mic was on, and soon enough, she treated fans with her original cabaret-inspired 'musical theater' rendition of 'High Fashion.' Her it girl-in-crime, Lexee Smith, served a campy, melodramatic poetry reading in Louboutins in between one of her outfit changes as a makeshift interlude until Addison returned for a particularly transcendental moment. When the opening notes of 'Aquamarine' trickled through The Box's theater, not one word was missed by fans. I even overheard a friend over my shoulder say, 'This song is so gay.' (Complimentary. Not in the way that would prompt Hilary Duff to pull her allyship card.) As Addison hit her marks in a flowy bright blue mini dress, we not only found catharsis on the dance floor—she did, too. In 2021, I covered the early days of Addison's crossover from TikTok to real-world fame at Seventeen, and I'll admit it: I was always intrigued by her essence, but I wasn't totally sold on 'Obsessed' once it dropped. It wasn't until one of my best friends dragged me to our living room to catch her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that I locked in and saw her for what she truly was: a small-town girl aching for the life of a big-city star. Let it be known that this was the moment she unlocked her potential as a Main Pop Girl in my eyes. From then on, I fully understood her vision. When most of her catalogue leaked in 2022, I clicked play for research purposes and fully became hooked by the following summer. Before her 7-track performance last night, she teased what could come from the Addison Rae live experience, making cameos with her close friends and collaborators on multiple occasions. There was the 'Von Dutch' remix at Charli XCX's pre-brat Boiler Room set in Brooklyn and their post-brat performance on Coachella's main stage, her 'Arcamarine' stint during Arca's more intimate set in the desert, and, of course, 'Diet Pepsi' with Charli and Troye Sivan's Sweat tour stop at Madison Square Garden. These moments inched us closer to the glittery dance pop world of Addison, yet we didn't see the star fully in her element. Until now. She's no stranger to a Britney Spears comparison—in fact, she seems to fully welcome it, knowing they're both hometown heroes in Louisiana—but she pays homage to her heroes. In interviews, she's openly named Britney, Madonna, Prince, and Michael Jackson as influences. On her tongue-in-cheek satirical number, 'Money Is Everything,' she wistfully sings about her dream blunt rotation with Lana Del Rey and Lady Gaga after name-dropping Norma Jean. It's abundantly clear she's at the top of her class as a pop culture student, and she's well on her way to becoming a teacher. She no longer has to dream of being seen, because all eyes are on they'll stay there. Stream 'Addison' on Spotify
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Regina sisters embrace Ukrainian dancing at Mosaic and Japanese language at home
When audience members watch the Ukrainian dancers at this year's Mosaic festival, they may be forgiven for assuming that the dancers all speak just English or Ukrainian. But Kiko and Maya Malnyk have the heritages they've inherited from both their parents — learning Ukrainian folk dances from their father's side and speaking Japanese with their Japanese-born mother. "I sometimes think that maybe I'm a little bit special …because not a lot of people are just part Japanese and part Ukrainian," 11-year-old Kiko said. That's something their mother said she tries to get her two daughters to understand and appreciate. "I just keep telling them that they're lucky. They're just lucky that they have so many opportunities to learn," said Izumi Kanayama, adding they get to grow up in Canada and try things like Ukrainian dancing, but also get regular opportunities to visit her own home country of Japan. The girls' father, Chris Malnyk, has also seen how diverse the Ukrainian dancers are, bringing together people who don't necessarily have Ukrainian ethnicity or background. "There's quite a few people from Japan who are involved in it, at least three families," said Malnyk, adding that he could hear Japanese spoken at rehearsals at times. "It's really kind of unique and not what I would have expected going to a Ukrainian dance school. It's been multi-ethnic." Kanayama was born and raised in Japan before coming to Canada in 1995 to learn English and staying on to study economics. It was at the University of Regina that she met her husband through mutual friends. She exclusively speaks Japanese with her daughters so that they can communicate with their Japanese grandparents and extended family. "When they were little, I was just speaking to them in Japanese only. So we didn't do much writing or read that much, but then they just picked it up," Kanayama said. In addition to their Ukrainian dancing, both girls attend Japanese language classes on Saturdays, and even sit to eat meals at a kotatsu, the traditional low table. "We usually eat traditional Japanese food," said Kiko. "I really like it." Both parents feel that their children are fortunate to be able to see and embrace both sides of their cultural heritage. Kanayama said she wants her children to see it gives them opportunities other people may not have, and will help them become kind and productive humans. "I'm just hoping that exploring a different culture will bring richness to their lives."
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Top 6 concerts this week in Sarasota, Bradenton, Englewood, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda
Now that we're in June, and out of snowbird and tourist season, this concert picks installment is composed almost entirely of musicians from throughout Florida. We do start with one notable exception, with a Canadian-born, now St. Louis-based blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. The rest of this week's music acts all have ties to the Sunshine State, however — including a returning Sarasota native, a fundraiser concert for the Bradentucky Bombers roller derby team, a Fort Myers ska-reggae-soul group, a Boca Raton-based, Blues Music Award-nominated band, and a Miami sacred steel ensemble. Here are this week's highlights. Event details are subject to change. RIP: 'Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo' rocker and former Sarasota resident Rick Derringer dies 75-plus things to do in June in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, Punta Gorda Ticket Newsletter: Sign up to receive restaurant news and reviews plus info on things to do every Friday Although Joyland is primarily associated with country music, the Sarasota area venue occasionally holds concerts by musicians from different genres, such as blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Anthony Gomes, who will return there for another show Friday. Born in Toronto to a French-Canadian mother and Portuguese father, and now living in the St. Louis area, Gomes visits the venue shortly after releasing his latest album "Praise the Loud." His other releases include the 2022 full-length "High Voltage Blues," which hit No. 1 on Billboard's blues album chart, with Gomes himself making Total Guitar magazine's list of the 100 greatest blues guitarists of all time last year. 8 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show Friday; Joyland, 8341 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota; $28 advance, $35 day of; 941-210-4110; Bradenton venue Oscura will host this concert raising funds for another local institution, the Bradentucky Bombers roller derby team, and their travel to New Orleans to take on the Big Easy Roller Derby. Among the acts performing are Las Nadas, a self-described "gaggle of old people playing punk rock music" that includes Bradentucky Bomber GiGi RaMoan among its members (along with Doug Holland, owner of Bradenton record store Jerk Dog Records). Other musical acts will include No Pants Maurice, Kid Red, Luminosity and GDSOB. 7 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. show Friday; Oscura, 816 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton; $10 advance, $15 day of; 941-201-4950; Punta Gorda Irish pub and venue Celtic Ray Public House's live music lineup this week will kick off Friday with the return of ska-reggae-soul group The Freecoasters. While the group hails from nearby Fort Myers, they've found fans nationally, playing Washington, D.C.'s famed venue Black Cat in December 2023 with two big names in ska, The Slackers and Mustard Plug. Jesse Wagner of Los Angeles reggae band The Aggrolites also produced their two full-lengths, 2021's "A Different Kind of Heat" and 2016's "Show Up." 8 p.m. Friday; Celtic Ray Public House, 145 E. Marion Ave., Punta Gorda; 941-916-9115; Guitarist, singer-songwriter and Sarasota native Chris Anderson will play Stottlemyer's Smokehouse this weekend, as well as The Twisted Fork in Port Charlotte. Anderson is a former member of Tampa-formed Southern rockers the Outlaws, best known for the songs "Green Grass & High Tides" and "There Goes Another Love Song." Anderson also released the 1995 solo album "Old Friend," with its title track co-written with Warren Haynes and later recorded by the Allman Brothers Band as the final song on their final studio album, 2003's "Hittin' the Note." 7 p.m. Friday; Stottlemyer's Smokehouse, 19 E. Road, Sarasota; free; 941-312-5969; 6 p.m. doors, 6:30 p.m. show Saturday; The Twisted Fork, 2208 El Jobean Road, Port Charlotte; $31 VIP including dinner buffet, general admission also available; 941-235-3675; Miami-based group The Lee Boys, one of the biggest acts of the sacred steel music genre, will return to Sarasota's Big Top Live for a free concert Saturday. Featuring brothers Alvin, Derrick and Keith Lee, the group plays in the sacred steel tradition, originating from church services featuring steel guitar for a sound that blends gospel with a hard-driving, blues-based beat. Their albums include 2012's "Testify," which features Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band and Gov't Mule and Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic as guest musicians. 7 p.m. Saturday; Big Top Live, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota; free; 941-371-2939; Sarasota County restaurant and venue Englewoods on Dearborn will welcome back Boca Raton blues guitarist and singer-songwriter J.P. Soars this week with his band the Red Hots. The group was nominated for four Blues Music Awards in 2022: Band of the Year, B.B. King Entertainer and Instrumentalist — Guitar for Soars, and Instrumentalist — Drums for bandmate Chris Peet, who scored another nomination in the same category this year. Soars also plays in the supergroup Southern Hospitality with Grammy-nominated pianist Victor Wainwright and fellow Floridian Damon Fowler. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 12; Englewoods on Dearborn, 362 W. Dearborn St., Englewood; $7; 941-475-7501; If you would like to be considered for this story, please submit your event to at least 10 days before our Thursday publication date. Email entertainment reporter Jimmy Geurts at Support local journalism by subscribing. This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Top 6 concerts Sarasota Bradenton Englewood Port Charlotte Punta Gorda
